Naruto: The Demon of The Leaf
by UzaiUkiyo
Summary: They say that the only time a person truly recognises the life they have lived is when they are about to die. That they understand the value of their life only in that moment. This certainly rang true for Zabuza, whose sins had finally caught up with him. Yet he saw an opportunity for atonement. An opportunity presented by a blond Genin of Konoha. Naruto x TBD. OP Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

**UzaiUkiyo: Hi, this is a new Naruto story, my very first fanfic, in fact, and I'll be writing one in which Naruto gets a small benefit early on. I'll try not make him too overpowered and all at least early on in the story. Also, if you have any questions about the fanfiction then PM me or leave a review and I'd also like to hear you guys' thoughts about this fic, if you like it or not or if you want me to improve something or make changes. I'm also going to try to keep updates to this story frequent so follow to get notified and if you like the story and where it's headed then a favourite will be greatly appreciated. That is going to be all for now regarding this fic****.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Narut****o**

As Naruto stood there, looking at the bloodied bodies of the wielder of the Kubikiribōchō, Zabuza Momochi and his faithful 'weapon', a strange feeling washed over him. It was a mix of rage and grief, that left him feeling hollow, for some reason. The more rational part of him knew that for any ninja, death was a common occurrence, both for one's allies and your enemies. Despite that, to see two people die in front of him, just when he thought they could be something more than adversaries. As he thought of the time when he had talked to Haku in the forest, he recalled the possibility that the two of them could have been friends, warm tears began to trickle down his cheeks.

Hearing Naruto cry, Zabuza lifted his head, and watching the boy tear up in front of him a new desire sparked inside him. He had known it since he had laid eyes on him that Naruto was special, even as the Jinchuriki of the Kyūbi he had kept on trying to pursue his dreams and kept a positive approach to life, always trying to protect his comrades and help the people around him, despite the fact that there was a Bijū sealed inside him. Zabuza was not naïve to the situation of the Jinchuriki. Most of them were blatantly hated by their villages, even to the extent of complete ostracisation. Best case scenario, they were trained into ultimate killing machines. But this kid, Naruto, he stayed bright, despite that. He stayed human. Sure, there was the off-chance that the kid had been lucky enough to have had a good childhood, but that was a long shot.

He had failed with Haku but seeing Naruto standing there, he knew that maybe with this one final act he might be able to finally redeem himself as a shinobi by ensuring that some good was done in the world. Making a decision, he spoke in a raspy voice occasionally coughing up blood between speech. "Kid," Naruto stopped crying momentarily and looked at Zabuza questioningly to see him smiling. "Yeah, you. I want you to have this." Zabuza said as he picked up the Executioner's Blade with his right hand and offered it to Naruto. Naruto looked shocked for a moment but quickly came out of his reverie to hastily take the sword from him. He knew that Zabuza was exerting himself even by just lifting up the sword, and Naruto acting stubborn would only make his situation worse. What he didn't expect was for the sword to weigh a million tonnes! As soon as he took hold of it, trying to cradle it in his arms, he fell to the ground with a dull thud. The sword weighed too much for Naruto to be able to handle as he was. Zabuza let a small chuckle escape his lips, though it quickly turned into a sharp cough.

"That sword is Kubikiribōchō or the Executioner's Blade, one of the Seven Legendary Swords of Kiri. I deem you, Naruto, Uzumaki, worthy of wielding it as your own. The sword requires an enormous amount of chakra since it is the primary source of energy for the sword to function properly but seeing how you made those clones earlier; it won't be a problem. As for the sheer weight of the sword, well, you'll figure something out." As Zabuza explained the mechanics of the sword to Naruto, he replied by nodding vigorously to show him he was listening carefully, after all these were the man's final moments. Zabuza smiled proudly, he had picked the right person to pass his sword on to and with that thought embedded into his mind, he finally let breath escape him as a numbness spread through his body and he was left cold and rigid.

While he was standing there taking in all that happened to him, Kakashi and the rest of Team 7 had cautiously approached him, not wanting to interrupt Naruto and Zabuza. Kakashi knelt down and sealed the blade in a scroll for later, he had overheard the conversation between Zabuza and Naruto and thought this would make it easier for Naruto to carry the sword. Naruto didn't stop him and let him do the Fūinjutsu needed to seal the blade, Naruto made a mental note to learn how to do that once he returned to Konoha. When Kakashi was done he carefully accepted the sealing scroll that his sensei offered him. After having given Naruto the scroll, Kakashi spoke. "Naruto, come on, they deserve to be buried." All Naruto could manage in response was a weak nod as he got up, pushing away the thoughts that had occupied his mind about what Zabuza had said to him.

After burying the bodies of the two shinobi, they were given the rest of day to recuperate and heal but it was mostly to get over the shock of what they had went through. Of course, Kakashi, as a seasoned Anbu, was no stranger to the grim reality of the battlefield, but it was a completely different story for the Genin under his tutelage. To see such carnage up close was always a difficult experience for the new Genin, and they would need some time to process it.

At the crack of dawn, the next day, they went back to their task of guarding Tazuna while he finished building the bridge. It took a week, which was longer than the team from Konoha would have wanted, but they were just thankful that the week had been mostly uneventful. The Genin had continued with their practice of the tree walking exercise to pass the time when they weren't on duty. Naruto had yet to take out Kubikiribōchō, because he had thought it would be best to first discuss the issue with the one ninja who he was closest to – his Hokage-Jiji.

As a testament to the sacrifices and hard work of the shinobi, the villagers had decided to call the bridge the "Great Naruto Bridge". Though Naruto only gave them a humble smile of appreciation, for in his mind he was still thinking about what Zabuza had said the boy also wondered whether this was even allowed, for him to be a ninja of Konoha, and wield one of the Seven Legendary Swords of _Kiri_.

Finally, after a week of the uneventful routine of guarding Tazuna while he built the bridge, it was done. Tazuna and Team 7 stood at the end of the bridge that connected to wave, all of them smiling proudly at what they had achieved. Now it was time to leave Wave and return to Konoha. They said goodbye to the villager who had congregated there to say their farewells but when they had turned to leave, Inari ran up to Naruto and spun him around, his eyes teary and swollen. "Naruto, don't go yet, Wave needs a strong hero like you to protect it from bad guys. You can't leave!" Inari spoke as tears ran down his red cheeks. Naruto wiped the tears off that had begun to flow down his face upon listening to the younger boy's farewell. "Yeah Inari, I think so too. That's why you're here to be that hero, okay? You have to grow up to be strong so you can protect the people of this village and your grandpa and mom, you got it!"

Inari nodded as he looked up at the older boy, feeling inspired by his words. Naruto then turned around to walk on with his teammates while Inari waved at them energetically and shouted goodbyes. It took Team 7 two days to get back to Konoha, and they took the time to write up their official report for the mission and fortunately, their journey remained unevetful.

When they finally returned to Konoha, they immediately went to the Hokage's office to hand in their report, all of them wanting to get this over with and rest from their travels. The Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, went over their report with the occasional hum of acknowledgement. After having gone through the report completely he neatly stacked it on his desk and spoke in a calm and collected tone.

"Interesting, very interesting. With an unfortunate turn of events, it seems this mission went from being a C-Rank to an S-Rank but for Genin with such little experience in field missions, I must say you handled it quite well. Since it turned out alright, your decision to not turn back and abandon the mission like you should have when such a drastic change occurred is forgiven. However, Kakashi, I expect better from you in the future." After the Hokage had finished with his small speech of sorts, Kakashi's hand shot up in to the air. When he had received a nod from the old man signifying that he could speak, he started.

"Hokage-sama, I agree that I should not have acted so recklessly and in doing so I endangered the lives of both me and my team, and I apologize for that. I also wanted to ask you, what will happen regarding the matter of the sword? I believe I mentioned it somewhere near the end of the file." Kakashi said this rather timidly not wanting to offend the man. The Sandaime thought over this for a moment before speaking. "Naturally, the five major villages will soon enough come to know that the sword is no longer in the possession of Zabuza Momochi. But Kiri will not have much of a problem if Naruto was given the sword by the previous wielder and did not use force to procure it. Even if they did want it back, I doubt they will be able to spare enough resources for an operation to retrieve it from an active ninja at this time, due to the current civil war taking place there. If they had been able to do this, Zabuza would not have had the sword himself.

Though Naruto, now that you are the owner of one of the Seven Legendary Swords of Kiri, one that is on the stronger end of the spectrum at that, you will be considered by many as an adversary, and the Bingo Book will upgrade you to at least an A-Rank ninja. As for my verdict regarding the sword: keep it and be sure to make good use of it. Now, I know you never shy away from trouble, but this time I urge you to at least learn to use the sword, so that you can protect yourself better."

He finished with a smile addressed to Naruto. He had always had a soft spot for the boy considering the trauma he had gone through at such a tender age, and saw him as a grandson. It both pleased and saddened him to know that he was one of the very few adults in the village whom the boy could trust completely.

Kakashi and the Sandaime exchanged a final nod, and Team 7 left the Hokage Tower to go their separate ways. While walking through the streets of Konoha, Naruto thought about how he would try to tackle the problem of the Kubikiribocho's immense weight and wielding it in general. As he went over the issue, he realised that even if he did make his body strong enough to carry the sword through rigorous training, he would need external help to find out how to use it properly. When he reached his run-down apartment, he hastily got into his pyjamas and nightcap and fell on top of his bed. 'I'll think about it tomorrow.' He thought to himself as he drifted off. The scroll containing his sword lay safely tucked under his pillow.

The next day was Tuesday which meant a working day so Naruto and the rest of Team 7 had to meet at one of the training grounds. When all of them had arrived, there was the usual irritation with Kakashi die to his tardiness, but other than that they exchanged no words. Sasuke had stopped making fun of Naruto and calling him weak and Naruto was also acting docile towards him, this was because both of the boys had realised after fighting alongside each other in Wave that at the end of the day both of them were comrades and had each other's backs.

Sakura however was feeling a bit lost. 'Naruto and Sasuke have such burning ambitions that keep them going. Sasuke wants to become stronger so that one day he can confront his brother and avenge his clan, and Naruto's dream was to prove to everyone in the village that he isn't weak by becoming the Hokage. But what about me, why do I want to become a ninja, for Sasuke-kun, or do I have an actual purpose.' Even on their most recent mission she hadn't been able to help them at all. She knew that even if she had gotten the chance to assist them, she would have been more of a hindrance than a help.

She thought while viewing both Sasuke and Naruto standing in front of her, brimming with confidence. Just as she was letting those thoughts flood her mind, Kakashi appeared, pulling her out of her reverie.

"So," he said as he snapped his book shut, deciding to read this particularly saucy edition of 'Icha Icha Paradise' later, "An announcement was made early this morning to all of the Jounin presently leading squads, do any of you know what it was?" Kakashi spoke addressing the entirety of the team, though Sasuke was the only one to answer. "Well, obviously, it was about the "Chunin Exams", right?" He spoke with an undertone of off-handedness, not thinking much of the knowledge.

"That is correct, you will be receiving a two-month break starting today, meaning no missions or meetings, and this time is being given to you so you can train for the Chunin Exams, a contest of sorts with different tasks, in which not only Genin from this village but from others as well will be participating for the Chunin rank. The first task will be a written exam which will happen once your time for your break has expired." All of them listened carefully to what Kakashi had to say, knowing how important this was for their futures as shinobi, considering these were the examinations they would have to take to become Chūnin from Genin.

Naruto knew this would be tough as they had to face ninja from different villages whom they knew nothing about but rather than being discouraged he was honestly pumped. He would train like hell in these two months! Having finished, Kakashi turned to leave and both Sasuke and Sakura were also walking away. Suddenly remembering the scroll tied to his back, Naruto rushed forwards and yelled. "Kakashi-Sensei wait, I have to ask you something." Kakashi turned around and enquired. "What is it now, Naruto?"

"Kakashi-sensei, I was just wondering if you could give me some tips or exercises for physical training. The sword is way too heavy, so I need to be really stronger to be able to use it at all." Kakashi's expression softened at this, he hadn't expected the boy to have a genuine inquiry, but rather some odd musing. "Well Naruto, someone does actually come to mind. An old friend of mine, Might Guy, he's a master of taijutsu so he'll know more about that than even I would know. You can visit him later, he'll be in training ground nineteen with his team." Kakashi told him.

"Thanks Sensei, I'll meet him right away!" Naruto said to him looking determined. "Ok then Naruto, tell him Kakashi sent you. He'll understand." Kakashi said as he used Shunshin to disappear, leaving a small flurry of leaves in his place. 'So, that's it then, Might Guy, a taijutsu master. That's awesome! I'll still have to find someone for kenjutsu though, I've only ever wielded basic kunai and shuriken as weapons, this is going to be a big change. But I won't give up, I need to make Zabuza proud. So I don't care what I have to do, but I am gonna learn how to use Kubikiribōchō, dattebayo!'

**Co-written and beta'd by Kofukuna Shi No Kami.**


	2. Chapter 2

**UzaiUkiyo: Another chapter is out again! This chapter came out pretty quick but just know that the next chapter might take some more time. If you have any ideas for the pairings, please leave a review, because while I have some ideas, nothing is really solid yet.**

**If you liked it then follow, favourite, or review and if you have any questions then you can review or PM me.**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

Upon his arrival in training ground nineteen, Naruto saw a strangely dressed man standing in the center of the grounds, with three teenagers near him, going through some exercises. There were two boys and one girl, and all of them were performing pushups while their sensei cheered them on, screaming about the 'flames of youth'. Naruto was honestly tempted to not go up to the group, but he knew that Might Guy would be the one best suited to teach him if Kakashi-sensei had recommended the man. So, with steeled nerves, he marched into the field toward the shinobi. He realized that the Jōnin was wearing a green spandex jumpsuit, with the only saving grace of the outfit being the orange legwarmers. He wore a standard Chūnin vest over it, with his Konoha hitai-ate slung around his waist.

"Hey, mister, are you Might Guy, by any chance?" The man replied "Why yes, I am. Why do you ask?" "My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm here because Kakashi-sensei sent me, he told me to ask you for training tips to increase my body's strength and stamina." All of Guy's Genin were now intent upon listening having noticed the boy intruding on their training. "Kakashi's student eh? He is an old rival of mine, you know. You know what, I'll give you the tips, but first I want to see how you match up against one of my students, Lee! Come here and have a spar with this boy!" Guy had always wanted to see how one of his students would match up against Kakashi's. One of the two boys rushed to his sensei's side, he wore the same ridiculous outfit as his teacher, only without the Chūnin jacket but the boy was also wearing bandages on his arms up until his elbows. Naruto recognized the boy from his previous graduation class, although he couldn't pin a name to the face. The boy wore a mirror of Guy's outfit, but without the vest.

"Lee, this is Naruto Uzumaki, a fellow Genin of Konoha, and a student of Kakashi Hatake. I would like you to have a short spar with him, just to see where you both stand in terms of skill."

Lee spoke in an eager and admiring voice. "Yes sir, Guy-sensei. Naruto, I wish you the best of luck." Naruto nodded and was placed on one side of the field by Guy and Lee was stationed on the other. Guy stood in the middle as the referee for the match. "This match will last until one of the contestants has either been incapacitated, or thrown out of the field, if I see anyone going in for a fatal blow, I will intervene and stop the match, understood?" Guy explained the rules, as he exchanged a glance withboth boys. Both of them nodded and Guy blew a whistle to indicate the start of the match. Lee was the first to react, surprising Naruto with his speed he rushed at him and threw a kick at him aimed at his side but Naruto tanked the hit by shielding himself using the side ofhis right arm.

He was shocked by the sheer strength of the attack as a throbbing pain accumulated where he had been hit, but he had to ignore it for the time being and used Kage-Bunshin to spawn a dozen clones of himself. While Naruto thought of a game plan, the clones rushed at Lee but had no luck, being picked off one by one, unable to react in time to Lee's superior speed. As the clones quickly dispelled into large puffs of smoke, Naruto rushed at Lee using the cloud of smoke as a distraction, aiming to land a right hook on the older boy's chest. Lee was surprised for a moment but was able to counter it by punching Naruto in the chest but to his surprise, he dispelled! Lee knew he was in danger the moment the clone had dispelled and tried to brace himself for incoming attacks but Naruto came at him from above and was able to get a successful hit in as he slugged him in the cheek making him collapse on the ground but Lee was only dazed for a moment before he jumped and was able to land a kick straight on Naruto's chest, sending him out of the field.

"What the heck is that guy made of?" Naruto thought to himself as he tried to move. Now that the adrenaline from the battle had vanished, the pain of his injuries came in full-force and he started groaning in pain. Lee rushed over, with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry, Naruto-san, but I get carried away sometimes in battles. Please forgive me, but my flames of youth just fire me up." The younger Genin cringed slightly as he was raised to his feet, and saw Guy approaching the two of them. "You did much better than I thought you would especially after having only graduated from the academy recently, while Lee here has been a Genin for a year now. So, as promised, I shall give you tips on how to improve your physical strength. First of all, I suggest you do physical exercises as well as endurance training at least every other day, as it will help you quite a lot. Also, I would recommend using weights, so that your body grows stronger with them on." Guy said to him. Naruto immediately began paying attention to the man, because despite the quirks he may have, he knew his stuff when it came to physical training. Naruto had been able to tell as much just from the strength and speed behind Rock Lee's attacks. "Although I must ask, is there a specific reason you need to become stronger, so much so that you requested professional help?"

"Well, yes. I recently went on a mission in which we battled one of the seven legendary swordsmen of the mist and he gave me his sword when he died, The Executioner's Blade." He took off the scroll on his back and handed it to Guy who unsealed it and marveled at the sight of the grand blade. "This is Kubikiribōchō ,Zabuza Momochi's blade." The two other Genin had also approached them, one of them, the girl, was actually staring at it in shock. "Well Naruto, that's all I can do for you right now. You should get going if you want to start your training." The team turned and went back to training but the girl remained frozen on the spot, her eyes as wide as was humanly possible. Naruto was slightly unnerved by her stare, so he began to back away slowly, only for his movement to snap her out of her thoughts. Tenten could not believe what she was seeing in front of her eyes. She actually couldn't believe it. The Seven Legendary Swords of Kiri were just that, legends. Sure, everyone knew they existed, but the chances of not being a Kiri shinobi and living after having seen it were astronomically low. In fact, it had been a personal dream of hers as a weapons mistress to at least see one of the seven swords, let alone one of the strongest, The Executioner's Blade.

Naruto had gathered up the scroll and was about to seal the sword when Tenten spoke up. "Hi! My name is Tenten Higurashi and I was just wondering if I could hold your sword but it's fine if you don't want me to. It's just that I'm a really good weapons mistress and my dad even owns a shop that sells all sorts of ninja equipment. In fact, for you to have this sword you must also be really good at handling weapons." She said this very quickly and excitedly and gave a slight twitch-like bow at the end, harboring immense respect for someone who possessed such a famous blade. The boy was taken aback by her energy, and it took him a second to process everything she said. He knew that she must also have been from last year's class, though he didn't recognize her. She had a round face with a strong jaw and hazel eyes. Her hair was a similar brown, though it was tied up into two buns on either side of her head. She wore a pink shirt, and had a pair of green pants on. Once he had caught up with her questions, Naruto chuckled nervously, before replying rather embarrassedly.

"Actually, I'm not any good at Kenjutsu. While the last owner of this sword, Zabuza was dying he just gave me the sword. I really don't know why but I'm still going to master the sword because I can't let Zabuza down! I actually need someone to teach me how to use the sword." The boy explained, before an epiphany occurred to him. "Hey, since you're a weapons mistress like you said, can you teach me?" Tenten was pleased by his inadvertent praise, and decided to accept his request. "Yeah sure, I can teach you some, and I think it will be a good experience for me as well, finding out more about such a renowned sword. But may I please touch it?" Naruto found the request to be a little unusual but he didn't want to endanger potential Kenjutsu lessons, so he handed her the sword without hesitation. Her eyes grew wide with glee, as her lips split into a wide grin as she held the blade and touched its metal. She even began muttering something indistinct under her breath, which Naruto didn't quite hear.

After about half a minute of watching Tenten caress the weapon, Naruto finally decided he should stop her."I have to go now but we can meet whenever you're free to give me lessons." That snapped the weapons mistress girl out of her trance, and she reluctantly returned Kubikiribōchō to Naruto. "Well, I am free on most Wednesday afternoons, so that would be fine with me. We can have our first session tomorrow. That sound alright?" Naruto confirmed that it was, and the girl then walked away, although she did glance back a couple of times tolook at his sword.

'So, I guess I killed two birds with one stone then.' Naruto thought to himself as he left the training grounds. He decided that he'd immediately get whatever he needed to do the training Guy had suggested, which was primarily just weights.

He decided that he should get them from a proper shinobi store rather than a civilian store. Not only would a shinobi store be guaranteed to have better equipment, but most of the time shinobi stores treated him much better than the civilian ones. Naruto had always been puzzled by that, but after he learnt that he was the Jinchuriki of the Kyūbi no Kitsune, he realized why they treated him so badly. Of course, he still hated the fact that they did it, but he knew that he just had to show them that they were wrong about him. But until then, he knew he should do his best to steer clear of them.

As he made his way to the shinobi part of the market, he recalled that Tenten had said that her parents also owned a store. So, when a sign labelled 'Higurashi Equipment and Armors' came into view, he decided to head over to the store. He knew that he had to get some weights, but he'd also need to get new kunai and shuriken. And as he looked over some of the rips in his orange jumpsuit, he registered the fact that the suit probably wouldn't be able to be mended. Although he'd be sad to replace the jumpsuit he had come to love, he was glad he'd gotten so much time out of it. After multiple fixings and re-stitching, he had worn the suit for just over two years. But it seemed like its time was up. 'On the bright side, the payment from the mission in Wave makes it so I can get something really nice.' He thought as he entered the shop and headed to the counter. Behind the counter stood a large man – a really large man. At a full height of almost seven feet, the man was more than a little intimidating. He had dark hair that was rather short, and a sharp, angular face.

"Hello, my name is Higurashi Momoto and I'm the owner of this shop. What can I do for you today?" The shopkeeper said from behind the counter, surreptitiously looking at Naruto up and down, a little confused by his weird clothing choice. "Hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I need a couple of things, including a new outfit for field work, and a set of body weights. I think I'll look over the clothes first." The boy said, and Higurashi nodded, gesturing further down an aisle, where stacks upon stacks of clothes lay, ranging from basic ninja gear, to the odd samurai armor.

Naruto made his way to the aisle and scanned over the clothes, though nothing really popped out. Of course, he knew nothing would compare to his beloved orange jumpsuit, but the dreary dark colors weren't something he was too fond of. After about ten minutes of browsing, he finally found something he liked. It was an orange sleeveless hoodie, sort of like a vest, but it had a hood and was a bit thicker than a vest would be. Grabbing the only two of these jackets available in his size, Naruto decided to also get a few mesh undershirts to go with the jackets, just for the extra defense. Unfortunately, the only pants available were regular shinobi pants, which were issued only in the standard blue or black. He decided to go with the black ones, so he grabbed three pairs of the pants as well.

When he placed the merchandise back on the counter, Higurashi was honestly a little surprised. He hadn't expected the boy to pick out clothes that would actually have some defensive benefit to them, but he knew he should expect that from a ninja. "So, will these be all the clothes you need, Naruto-san?" The man asked tentatively. Naruto responded with a nod, satisfied with the upgrade to his wardrobe. "I think it's time I look at the weights. Although, if I am completely honest, I don't have much of an idea of what to look for." The boy admitted rather sheepishly.

Higurashi nodded. "Well, I can't say that's too uncommon, because these days many don't even use weights for training. I know my stuff about them, so just come along with me, and we'll find whatever suits you best." The man came out from behind the counter, and it was once more impressed upon him how tall the man was. Naruto followed him to the weapons section of the store, and was honestly awed by the variety of the all equipment available. He saw katanas, tachis, tantos, kodachis, wakizashis, bo-staffs, and even a few spears. Naruto felt a bit of pride in admitting that none of those swords were half as scary as Kubikiribōchō itself.

The boy was drawn out of his thoughts by the shop owner stopping in front of him, and gesturing toward a certain rack. "These are all of our training weights, although there are a few that aren't quite you're level just yet." Naruto saw a range of weights, from large weights that could be wrapped around each limb, to a weighted vest that could be worn under clothes. However, Naruto found his attention caught by a set of extremely small bands, which weren't much wider than a wristband. "What's up with these?" The boy asked, casually picking up one of the bands. "They aren't that heavy."

Higurashi chuckled slightly. "Looks can be rather deceiving, Naruto-san. These bands are actually made with fūinjutsu engravings. That way, their weight can be adjusted from anywhere from one gram to one hundred kilograms." The kid was more than shocked by this information, as he stared incredulously at the small band in his hand. "They are actually one of the more flexible sets of training weights, because you can adjust their weight whenever you want to increase the level of your training. But they are on the pricier side of things, so I'd only recommend those if you plan on making strength training a real priority throughout your ninja career." By the time Higurashi had completed his explanation of how the bands worked, Naruto was more than sure that they were the ones that he'd want to buy. Especially since he wouldn't have to continually replace them with new weights whenever he got used to a certain level.

"I guess I can splurge a little for some good equipment, Mr. Higurashi, so I'll take it." Naruto responded, as he grabbed all four of the black bands. Higurashi was pleased with the sale, as the both returned to the counter. "So, that's all?" Naruto thought over the question for a moment. "Actually, I'll also take a pack of standard kunai and shuriken each. I kinda ran out of those on my last mission."

Higurashi nodded, and reached under the counter to grab a pack of each. The bags were surprisingly large, and contained fifty of each of the weapons. The man then proceeded to tally up a total for the merchandise. "With the 19,000 for the clothes, 10,000 for the weight bands and 3,500 for the shuriken and kunai, it comes down to 32,500 ryo." Naruto was a bit shocked by the price of the bands, but he knew he could easily cover the bill with his savings. He pulled out good old Gama-chan, and paid Higurashi in full. 'Heck, even with that all the money from the Wave mission, this put a dent in my savings.' Though in all honesty, he had to admit that it was the purchase was worth it, especially since he hoped it would help along his training.

Higurashi sealed the equipment into a small scroll, leaving only the weight bands on the counter. "Now, I'm going to tell you how to turn these on, and change their weight. You shouldn't have any problems with them, but if they ever malfunction, you'd better bring them here as soon as possible. Faulty fūinjutsui s not something you would want to mess around with, kid." Naruto nodded with affirmation, as the shop owner picked up the first band. "All you need to do to activate the seal is form the horse hand sign for five seconds, and then verbally call out the weight you want it to be. Try it out." Higurashi handed the boy the band, which he put around his right hand.

Naruto was slightly nervous about it, but he still formed the hand sign, and held it for the required time period. Sure enough, after five seconds, a seal pattern lit up on the band in a sharp, blue shade. "Ten kilograms." Naruto declared, before wincing as his arm fell slack, the sudden weight more than he had been expecting. After a moment of getting used to it, he was able to move his arm a little, although the movements were sluggish and tiring.

"You'll get the hang of it, but it looks like they're working just perfect." Higurashi said, with veiled amusement a considering the boy's plight. He could barely contain that very amusement to slight snickers as Naruto put on the rest of the weight bands on his left arm and ankles, all with the same weight calibration. Once he was done, he grabbed the scroll containing his things from the shopkeeper, and bid adieu to Mr. Higurashi, and started to walk out of the shop. Of course, this was made much harder by the extra forty kilograms.

* * *

**Co-Written and Beta'd by Kofukuna Shi No Kami**


End file.
